With wireless communication typified by a wireless LAN compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard series, there are numerous setting items that must be configured prior to use. As for the setting items, there are, for example, communication parameters required for wireless communication such as an SSID constituting a network identifier, an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method and an authentication key, which are extremely complicated for users to configure manually.
In view of this, auto-configuration methods for easily configuring communication parameters in wireless devices have been conceived by various manufactures. These auto-configuration methods involve communication parameters being provided from one device to another device using messages and predetermined procedures between connected devices, and communication parameter configuration being performed automatically.
Respective manufactures often employ their own communication parameter auto-configuration method. Accordingly, communication parameters cannot be configured using an auto-configuration method between devices not compatible with a common communication parameter auto-configuration method, given differences in the procedures for configuring communication parameters and differences in the decipherable messages. On the other hand, communication parameters can be easily configured between devices compatible with a common communication parameter auto-configuration method, using that auto-configuration method.
Disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-338821 is exemplary communication parameter auto-configuration.
This communication parameter auto-configuration method requires roles of a providing apparatus that provides a communication parameter to another wireless device, and a receiving apparatus that receives and configures in the apparatus the communication parameter provided by the providing apparatus.
Therefore, in the case where a wireless device receives a communication parameter provided using auto-configuration, the wireless device must search for a device providing communication parameters.
However, the wireless device is unable to easily search for a communication parameter providing device, since providing apparatuses do not always respond to a signal for searching for a providing apparatus.
For example, with an IBSS/ad-hoc network compliant with IEEE 802.11 standards, the station that last transmitted a beacon is the stipulated as the station to respond to a probe request constituting a search request signal. Therefore, even when a probe request for searching for a providing apparatus is transmitted, a device other than a providing apparatus may respond, making it difficult to settle on a communication parameter providing apparatus.